One Day, I Shall Come Back
by JSmith25
Summary: The Doctor left his granddaughter on 22nd Century Earth after defeating a dalek invasion. The time has come for him to honour his promise and return.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_The Doctor stood at the TARDIS console, still holding Susan's shoe, with Ian and Barbara looking on. Suddenly, he stood very erect, putting Susan's shoe down carefully and reached for a particular switch, and slammed it down hard. __Susan had almost reached the TARDIS when its door closed in her face. She took the key from round her neck and tried to open it. Nothing happened. _

"_Grandfather," she screamed. "Grandfather!"_

_Suddenly she heard the Doctor's voice. 'Susan, please listen. I've safety-locked the door—you can't get in.' _

_Inside the TARDIS the Doctor could see Susan's puzzled face looking at him on the scanner. Gently he said, __"During all the years I've been taking care of you, you in return have been taking care of me. You are still my grandchild and always will be. But now you're a woman too. I want you to belong somewhere, to have roots of your own. With David you will be able to find those roots and live normally like any woman should do. Believe me my dear, your future lies with David, not with a silly old buffer like me. One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye my dear." _

_And without hesitating, the Doctor pulled the dematerialisation lever, sending the TARDIS off into the Time Vortex, leaving his beloved granddaughter behind._

1, 268 years later (for the Doctor)...

'_One day, I shall come back.'_ The thought echoed around the Doctor's head as he leant against the TARDIS's control console. That day had arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: The majority of this chapter is an excerpt from the Target novel 'Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth' by Terrance Dicks, published in 1977. This will only be a short story and will feel rather rushed. This is intentional, as I consider the story a filler for the Doctor's timeline while he takes time off from Hogwarts. Refer to the 7th chapter of 'Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Blue Box' for the full backstory.<br>**


	2. Memories

**Chapter 1 - Memories**

It was a quiet day in New London. The year was 2191, approximately twenty years after the defeat of the daleks. Most of central London had now been rebuilt, but with many more nature strips. It was a smaller London, due to the decreased population. The Thames was now full of river traffic, and New London's residents were now used to the chimes of Big Ben as they went about their daily lives.

Parts of New London still had to be rebuilt, and one such place was under a bridge, opposite Battersea Power station, now restored to its original, pre-invasion state. Here, a pile of girders lay coated in dust, undisturbed for twenty years. A stray cat was passing these girders when a strong gust of wind blew leaves into the cat's face. It raised its paw to bat the leaves away but was distracted by a strange wheezing groaning sound coming from the space to the right of the girders. The cat watched, amazed as a blue police telephone box materialised into existence. This was too much for the cat, and it ran away as fast as its four paws could carry it. If it had stayed, it would have seen a young man step of the box. He had jet black hair that hung over his angular face, and was dressed like an Oxford professor, complete with a bow tie. It was the Doctor.

The Doctor surveyed his surroundings with interest. "Well, you got me here _this_ time, old girl," he said, giving the TARDIS an affectionate pat. "No side-tracking to a magical school this time!"

He looked more closely at his immediate environment. "Nothing seems to have changed," The Doctor noted. "I don't think those girders have moved since David and his friends cut them to allow access to the TARDIS!" Smiling at the memory, he pointed out more places of interest from an adventure long ago. "That's where the dalek came out of the Thames. And I think that the TARDIS has materialised in the same place!" he said excitedly.

He started walking, going nowhere in particular, just hoping to find Susan, David or perhaps one of their children, but soon spotted something on the ground. He picked it up. I appeared to be a small pendant, covered with mud, but after dipping it in the nearby Thames he saw that it was actually much, much more.

"Susan's TARDIS key!" the Doctor exclaimed as more memories flooded back to him. "I think it's time she got it back."


	3. Meeting that Defies the Odds

**Chapter 2 - Realisation**

Ian and Barbara Campbell, along with their younger brother, David Campbell Junior, were playing outside their house, with their mother, Susan, watching over them. Their father, David, was a member of the Restoration Government, a job which took up most of his time, so they hardly ever saw him.

"Don't go too far away!" called Susan from the house.

"Oh, mum, can we please go play by the old bridge? It's been so long since we went there," replied a desperate Ian. He watched as his mother considered. The old bridge was opposite Battersea Power Station, and was where the TARDIS had landed before his mother, his great-grandfather and two of his mum's teachers, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, had become involved in the Dalek Invasion. As such, the place had become a favourite play ground for the three youngsters, as their parents had told them what the significance of the site was.

"Ok," Susan said finally. "But be careful, and don't be gone too long." But all three children had rushed away as soon as she had said 'Ok'. Smiling, Susan went back into the house.

"Can't catch me!" yelled David Jr as he ran ahead of his siblings. Not slowing to hear their replies, he ran as fast as he could towards the old bridge. He looked back to see where they were – and ran head first into a young man wearing a bow tie.

"Oof!" he said, falling to the ground, breathless.

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed the man, and he helped David get up. "You better watch where you're going next time," he added, looking thoughtfully at David. "Do I know you from somewhere by any chance?"

Before David could reply, there came the sound of running and Ian and Barbara appeared round the corner.

"There you are!" said Ian breathlessly.

"You shouldn't go running off like that, David," added Barbara, who then saw the man looking down at her. "Who're you?" she asked rather rudely.

The man just smiled. "I asked your friend here the same question, but you arrived before he could answer."

"My name's David!" blurted out the youngest child before Ian or Barbara could stop him.

Barbara sighed. "I'm Barbara, and this is my brother, Ian," she said, indicating herself and her twin.

The man's brow was wrinkled in concentration. "Are you sure I haven't met any of you before? No, I suppose not."

Barbara tugged at David's sleeve. "Come on, we're going home."

Suddenly, the man let out a cry of realisation. "Oh, of course!" he exclaimed, eyes alight with delight. "Ian, Barbara, David – you're brothers and sister, aren't you?"

All three children nodded, bewildered.

"Your last name is Campbell, isn't it?"

The children again indicated the affirmative.

"And your parent's names are David and Susan, aren't they?"

This aroused Ian's suspicions. "How did you know?"

The man drew himself up to his full height. "I know because I'm your great- grandfather. I'm the Doctor."


	4. Reunion

**Chapter 3 - Reunion**

"Rubbish!" scoffed Barbara. "You can't be our great-grandfather, you just can't."

"Why not?" asked the man claiming to be the Doctor.

"Because our great-grandfather was a grumpy old man with white hair, and he loved our mother very much. Our mother is older than you!"

"Oh, yeah? I seriously doubt that your mother is more that 1,568 years old!"

Ian gaped in astonishment. "_You're _over a thousand years old? Wow."

"This is no time for admiration, Ian," said Barbara crossly. She turned back to the man. "Look, you must be ill. You're not our great-grandfather."

The man just smiled knowingly. "Ok, then. Why don't you take me to your mother and ask her yourself?"

Before the twins could answer, David Jr piped up. "Let's do that, let's do that! Come on," he said excitedly, pulling on the man's jacket and leading the way. Ian and Barbara glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed.

Susan was proof-reading her work reports when the doorbell rang. Sighing in frustration, she got up to answer it. Those reports were important, and had to be submitted tomorrow, but she knew she'd never get them all done in time. Despite the capabilities of her Time Lord brain, ten reports in twelve hours was just not possible. When she opened the door, she saw a young man surrounded by her three children.

David opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the man. "Good afternoon, Mrs Campbell. I found these three playing on some girders around the old bridge. Dangerous thing to do; they could've fallen and sprained their ankles," he said, giving her a wink.

Susan eyed the stranger with suspicion. He vaguely reminded her of someone, but she didn't know who. And there was that reference to her falling from girders and spraining her ankles at the beginning of her last adventure with her grandfather. But how could the stranger know that?

Regaining composure she thanked the man and beckoned the children inside.

"He thinks he's your grandfather," whispered Barbara as she passed her mother on her way into the house. Susan made no indication that she had heard what her daughter had said, but her brain was processing the information. She knew that it was extremely likely that her grandfather had regenerated by now, but she just couldn't believe that he would look so young, if the stranger in front of her was her grandfather. She had to find out whether the man's claim was true. She hoped it was; she hadn't seen her grandfather for twenty years.

"Come in, come in," she said, beckoning the man inside. "Please excuse the messy table; I've got some reports I have to submit..."

But the man wasn't listening. He wandered over to the table, picked up a pen and started correcting the reports.

"Wrong conditional clause...doesn't make sense..." he muttered under his breath, hand flying across the paper.

Susan just stood and stared in shock as a complete stranger corrected her reports in record time. After 10 minutes, all her reports had been fully corrected.

The man looked up. "Not bad, but the fifth one lagged a bit in the middle, and the eighth didn't make much sense, but I fixed them all up," he said, a childish grin splattered across his face.

"Who are you?" asked Susan, in a mixed state of wonder and awe. Could this man really be her regenerated grandfather?

The man's demeanour changed. His eyes lost their glow of excitement and his grin was wiped off his face. "Susan," he said softly, "Don't you recognise your own grandfather?"

Susan stared into the stranger's eyes, searching, but the man had other ideas.

"Here, use telepathy. Look into my mind," he said. Susan did exactly that, and, as soon as the image of an old man flashed across her mind, she knew at once that his claim was true.

"Grandfather?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hello, Susan," said the Doctor, taking a big gulp of air, trying to hold back his emotions. "I've come back."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: From Susan's perspective, the events of 'The Five Doctors' haven't happened yet.<strong>


	5. Meeting the Husband

**Chapter 4 - Meeting the Husband**

David Campbell Sr had had a good day at work. The monthly reconstruction report had indicated that work was progressing faster than predicted, and he had managed to get several important pieces of legislation passed in the Lower House. He was now walking home, looking forward to spending the evening with his wife and three children.

"Hi honey, I'm home," he said as he stepped over the threshold of his house. Susan walked in from the lounge room and gave him a quick kiss.

"Someone's here," she said excitedly, and it was all she could do to stop herself from dragging her husband into the lounge room.

"Who?" asked David, hanging up his coat.

"Someone you haven't seen for twenty years."

Puzzled, David walked into the lounge room to see Barbara, Ian and David Jr laughing at a young man wearing a bow tie.

"So I said to her, 'Susan, daddy's going to regenerate soon, so you might want to say goodbye to him.' Oh, you should've seen her face! She went running around the house, screaming at the top of her voice. Then her dad picked her up and asked her why she was crying. Susan just clung to him and told him not to regenerate! Her dad laughed and said 'I think granddad is having a joke, don't you sweety?' My word, I was in Susan's bad books for at least a year after that!" said the man, clearly relishing all the attention he was getting.

Barbara glanced over at her mother and grinned "Geez mum, I didn't know you were so gullible!"

Susan smiled. "That happened when I was about 5. And grandfather still hasn't left my bad books completely!"

The man looked at his shoes, clearly embarrassed.

David was trying to understand what was going on. "Hang on a minute. Who's he?" he asked pointing at the man, who promptly leapt to his feet.

"David, it's been to long!" he said, giving David air kisses on both cheeks, then shaking him firmly on the hand. "I was just telling the kids some stories about Susan's childhood on Gallifrey. You don't recognise me? No, I suppose not. Anyway, you last saw me when I said goodbye to you after defeating the Dalek Invasion. I'm the Doctor; your wife's grandfather.

"Grandfather?" asked David, looking at Susan for support. "As far as I know, Susan's only got one grandfather, and he was an old bloke who really adored her."

Susan took her husband's hand. "David, that's really him. Remember I told you that I'm a Time Lord? Well, we change our appearances every now and then. That's what the Doctor has done, haven't you, grandfather."

"Yep, ten times since the Dalek Invasion. Mind you, it's hard updating those library cards; new membership every time, the management just doesn't allow for face-changing humanoids."

David was not convinced. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Ok, fine, good question. The last thing I said the two of you was 'Look after her, David, my boy. Be kind, work hard both of you and you'll find that life on Earth can be an adventure too."

David took a step back, shocked. "It is you, it really is!"

The Doctor grinned. "I know!"


	6. Catching Up

**Chapter 5 – Catching Up**

Later that night, when the children had gone to bed, The Doctor, Susan and David sat talking quietly in the lounge room. Susan and David were quite curious about the Doctor's life after he had left Susan behind.

"So how old are you now, grandfather?" asked Susan, sipping some tea.

"About 1,568. For me, it's been about 1,200 years since I dropped you off," answered the Doctor.

David choked on his tea. "How can anyone be that old?" he spluttered, gasping for breath.

"Simple, I'm a Time Lord; we –," he stopped after receiving a mental message from Susan saying that David must not be told how long Time Lords lived for. "- I'm an extraordinarily long-lived Time Lord," the Doctor finished lamely.

"So what have you been doing? Did Ian and Barbara get home?" asked Susan. She had a very long list of questions she wanted to ask her grandfather.

"Oh, yes, they got home. Not that long after I left you here, actually. I programmed a dalek time machine to take them home. I can only assume that they made it home safely."

"That's good."

David also had a question. "Susan mentioned earlier that you could change your face. How many times have you done that?"

"Ten. The last change happened only a short time ago. I absorbed some radiation to save a friend. Didn't enjoy the experience at all." The Doctor shuddered involuntarily before continuing. "As for what I've been doing, well, I've been travelling with Amy and Rory, I've rebooted the universe, I've saved the planet a million times. Look up myths and legends in your local library. You'll probably find me there somewhere."

David yawned. "I'm going to bed," he said, leaning over to give Susan a quick peck on her cheek before putting his cup down on the coffee table. "Goodnight, sugar plum. Goodnight Doctor." He walked down the corridor to the master bedroom.

Susan waited until David was out of earshot before continuing. "Did you go back to Gallifrey, grandfather?" she asked eagerly.

The Doctor sighed. "Yes, Susan, I did go back a couple of times."

Susan's eyes gleamed. "Really? Why? Can you take me?" The questions slipped of her tongue as if she had been waiting for this very situation to arise.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "I can't take you back, Susan, not now, not ever."

"Why not?"

The Doctor sighed and turned his back. "You're a renegade," he said simply. "Not allowed back."

Susan was confused. "Then why did you go back? You're still a renegade too."

The Doctor grinned. "No, I'm not. I helped them out a few times, and was pardoned. I was even made President at one stage!"

Susan felt pride build up inside her. Her own grandfather had been President of the Time Lords! But there was also a small feeling of jealousy at the fact that he had managed to go back to their home planet. The Doctor saw the look on her face and quickly sat down beside her.

"I didn't go back by choice, you know, well, except for one occasion where I had to go back to defend Gallifrey from invasion. But I was put on trial twice, framed for murder, captured and sent to the Death Zone - four times, actually, now I think of it, but I only remember it happening once."

Susan was shocked. "You went to the Death Zone? How horrible! You must have been scared."

The Doctor stiffened. "Me, scared! Impossible! You'd better toughen up, young lady, 'cause you're going there too!"

Susan gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth.

The Doctor was oblivious to what he had just said. "What? Oh no, don't tell me I gave you a hint about your future!" The Doctor groaned in despair. He wasn't supposed to do that.

Susan suddenly started giggling.

"What's so funny, hmm?" he asked crossly.

"Oh, grandfather," Susan laughed. "You haven't changed one bit!"

* * *

><p>The Doctor was lying in bed in the spare bedroom of Susan and David's house. He felt a little guilty for not telling Susan about the Time War, but he didn't want to revisit the memories that he had long since buried. Besides, she'd be much better off not knowing. He didn't want to spoil her life. Maybe he'd take the family for a trip in the TARDIS, just as a treat. He'd take them to the Scorpion Nebula, or to the Eye of Orion, or...<p>

Still planning what he was going to do in the coming day, the Doctor finally fell asleep


	7. A Trip in the TARDIS

**Chapter 6 – A Trip in the TARDIS**

"Barbara, Barbara! Wake up!" shouted David Jr as he burst into his sister's room.

Barbara slowly opened her eyes. "Whazgoinon?" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Come on, Barbara. Mummy says we have to get ready for a big day. The Doctor's going to take us for a trip in his machine!"

"Alright, I'll be there soon," Barbara grumbled. She waited until David had gone before lying back down and promptly falling asleep again.

* * *

><p>An hour later, when Barbara had finally been woken up by the insistent shouts of David Jr, the party, laden with food, water and a picnic rug, headed off towards the old bridge. The TARDIS was still waiting there, as patient as ever. The Doctor ran up to the door and quickly unlocked it. Susan was looking at the police box exterior curiously.<p>

"It's still a police box," she noted, scrutinizing it carefully.

"I know. The chameleon circuit is still malfunctioning, but I don't mind; I like the police box," the Doctor answered.

David Sr was talking to the children. "Now, kids, don't get too excited. Keep a cool head and don't touch anything."

Ian, Barbara and David Jr enthusiastically nodded their head in agreement. "Yes, dad," they chorused in unison.

The Doctor pushed the door open. "In, you go!" he said. The three children immediately rushed inside.

"Don't get lost!" Susan shouted after them. Smiling, she stepped inside the TARDIS.

"You've changed it!" said Susan accusingly, looking around the TARDIS interior. Chrome plating had replaced gleaming white walls, and the control console was now on a raised platform and looked more old fashioned than the futuristic console she had known.

"So?" replied the Doctor indignantly. "I got bored of all the white. I wanted a change."

David Sr was astounded. "Bigger on the inside? And there I was, wondering how we were all going to fit in!"

Susan clasped her husband's hand. "I told you that you'd be amazed. Do you like it?"

Before David could answer, the children came running back into the control room.

"Wow!" shouted David Jr. "This place is huge; we saw a kitchen, a library, a bedroom and even a garage!"

"Really, grandfather?" asked Susan. "The TARDIS didn't have a garage when I travelled with you."

"Yeah, well, I have a need for it," the Doctor replied.

"Why?"

"Well, let's just say I've...picked up a few vehicles along the way."

"Meaning you stole them?" asked Barbara curiously.

"No, I borrowed them with the intention of – no, shut up. Yes, I did steal them!" the Doctor proclaimed, ignoring his granddaughter's disapproving expression. He spun around and spotted Ian standing next to his father. "Ian, where would you like to go, forwards or backwards in time?"

"What? Oh, forwards, I suppose," Ian said, trying not to look too eager.

"Ok, forward," the Doctor muttered, setting the controls. "Mini David: how far forwards?"

"A million years!" was David Jr's enthusiastic reply.

"Too easy!" said the Doctor. "Alright everybody, hold on. It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" he cried, releasing the TARDIS's handbrake.

The machine shuddered before a wheezing, groaning sound began and the instrument in the Time Rotor began moving up and down in time with the sound of the TARDIS's engines.

"What's happening?" asked David Sr, looking everywhere for the source of the TARDIS's characteristic dematerialisation sound.

"The TARDIS is dematerialising; it's leaving the physical dimensions of the Universe and crossing into the Time Vortex," answered Susan.

"I see," said David slowly, not seeing at all. "And how does it do that?"

"No idea!" laughed Susan. "You'll have to ask grandfather. After all, he has been flying the TARDIS for quite some time now."

David nodded and went over to the Doctor to initiate a very scientific conversation that left him very confused.

Eventually, the wheezing groaning sound stopped, and the engines ground to a halt with a shuddering _thud._

"What now?" asked Barbara apprehensively.

"The exciting bit," replied the Doctor, running around the console to check various readings. "Ok, the year is 1,062,291, about a million years into your future," he read. He looked up, eyes gleaming. "Who wants to go outside?"

The three children took one look at each other before racing to the door and pushing it open.


	8. The Eye of Orion

**Chapter 7 - The Eye of Orion  
><strong>

It had been a long time since the Doctor had visited the Eye of Orion, but it hadn't changed at all. Rolling hills of grass stretched as far as the eye could see, and the smell of petrichor was everywhere. As Tegan Jovanka had once said, it looked exactly like Earth after a thunderstorm. The three children were running around, dodging each other and the ivy covered ruins that scattered the surrounding landscape. Susan, David Sr and the Doctor were keeping a watchful eye on the children while enjoying the sense of contentment and relaxation that the Eye somehow brought upon them.

"I love this place, grandfather," said Susan, breathing in the refreshing air of the Eye. "I feel like there isn't anything in the universe that can trouble me."

"That's because the bombardment of positive ions in the atmosphere are causing your neural relays to relax," answered the Doctor.

"It's as simple as that?" asked David.

"No, not really. What actually happens-"

"Thank you, Doctor," David cut in hastily. He didn't need another of the Doctor's confusing explanations.

"You said you'd been here before, grandfather," commented Susan. "How long ago was that?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "About 700 years."

"What body were you in?"

"Fifth. I was travelling with Tegan and Turlough then. They were good, but Tegan was always wanting to go home! I never knew exactly why."

Susan smiled contentedly, knowing that her grandfather would never understand that travelling the universe wasn't high on the priority list for most of his fellow travellers.

* * *

><p>The group stayed in the Eye of Orion for some time, admiring the view and enjoying the peace that the Eye brought, but they soon grew weary and decided to go back home.<p>

"Can Barbara, Ian and me fly the TARDIS, mum?" David Jr asked shyly, after the group had all entered the TARDIS.

Susan shook her head. "No, David," she said kindly. "You and your brother and sister might accidentally press the wrong button and we could end up on the other side of the universe!"

David sadly nodded and walked away, looking very disappointed. The Doctor appeared from one of the TARDIS's many corridors.

"Ok, who wants to fly the TARDIS?" he said, twirling around to look at the children. "How about some very eager children?"

"YES!" shouted the excited children, and they rushed over to their great-grandfather.

"Barbara, go to the spatial location input. Ian, you're in charge of the time altimeter, and Little David, you get the Space/Time throttle – but only do what I tell you to do!"

The children went to their positions and looked at the Doctor, waiting for their instructions.

"Ok, Barbara, if you want to go home, just type 'Sol 3, Europe, Great Britain, London', and also your address - which is one of the few things that I don't know – into that typewriter thing to your left. When you're done, pull that lever to the right of the typewriter."

Barbara did as instructed.

"Ian, see that keyboard? Enter the day, month and year you want us to land in." The Doctor waited until Ian had finished typing before he continued. "Right, only the throttle and the handbrake to go. Mini David – how fast do you want to go?"

David Jr grinned cheekily. "Really fast!" he exclaimed.

The Doctor pretended to look horrified. "Oh no! The last thing I want you to do is to pull that lever down all the way!"

David Jr grinned and did just that, and the result was that the familiar hum of the TARDIS was replaced by a muffled groaning sound as the TARDIS's engines tried to engage while the handbrake was still on.

"Everyone ready?" asked the Doctor. Susan, both Davids, Ian and Barbara all nodded. "Alright. Geronimo!" he shouted, pulling the handbrake.


	9. Goodbyes

**Chapter 8 - Goodbyes  
><strong>

The Doctor stayed with his granddaughter's family for another month. They took him on a tour of the rebuilt London, and he took them on a few more trips in the TARDIS, to both the past and future. Sadly, good things do not last, and the Doctor found himself preparing to go back to Hogwarts, where he was still a teacher there.

"Do you have to go, Doctor?" asked David Jr. Of all the children, he was taking his great-grandfather's impending departure the worst.

The Doctor crouched until he was looking into his youngest descendant's eyes. "Yes, David, I have to go. I'm a busy man; I've got places to go, people to see and things to do, most of which you wouldn't understand."

David indicated his understanding and made to move away, but the Doctor held him back.

"Just in case," he said, and pressed something into David's hand before moving away to say goodbye to Ian and Barbara.

David looked curiously and the object that the Doctor had given him. It appeared to be a small photo album. David opened it and gasped. It was a collection of photos of the Doctor in every incarnation! David immediately started flipping through it. His siblings soon noticed what he was doing, and went over to investigate. He showed them the album and they all looked through it whilst the Doctor said goodbye to their parents.

"Goodbye, Big David," said the Doctor, giving his grandson-in-law his signature air-kiss.

"Goodbye, Doctor," replied David. "Have a good trip and don't get into too much trouble!"

"Will do, boss," grinned the Doctor, giving David a salute.

Susan was already crying by the time the Doctor turned to say goodbye to her. "Will I ever see you again, grandfather?" she sobbed as she was embraced by her beloved grandfather.

"Of course you will, Susan, and much sooner than you expect. Actually, I think you'll see me again before this year is out!"

Susan looked up at the Doctor's face, confused. "How do you know that?" she asked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Wibbly-wobbly-"

"Timey-wimey!" Susan finished, comprehension dawning on her face. "You've always been fond of that expression. What number will you be when I see you again?"

The Doctor considered. Should he tell her? Yes, he should. After all, she wasn't surprised when she met his previous selves during the events of the Death Zone; maybe this was why.

"You'll see five, three, two and one."

Susan smiled. "I look forward to it."

The Doctor stepped out of their embrace. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll see you all again...hopefully – no eventually. Take care, live long and remember – bow ties are cool!"

And with that remark, he stepped into the TARDIS. A few seconds later it dematerialised, leaving David Sr and Susan looking at empty space whilst their children continued to laugh at the Doctor's bow tie comment.

"Goodbye, grandfather," said Susan, tears falling down her cheeks. She slowly turned around and started walking home, her husband at her side and their children running along behind them.

**The End**


End file.
